


Soothing the Troubled Soul

by Toshua



Category: NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans
Genre: Aftermath of a Case, Gen, Music, Piano
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 08:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12453708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toshua/pseuds/Toshua
Summary: The aftermath of a case leads to a tiny bar.





	Soothing the Troubled Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Red Pink Dot for the artwork and inspiration. You're the best.

It was a rotten case.  Any case that dragged innocents thru the mud stank.  But a case that killed children because it was convenient went beyond that.

Tony stared into the glass of expensive Scotch, watching the ice melt, turning the liquid from amber to light gold, destroying the taste along the way.  It was his second one and he either had to drink it or let it go to water and be a complete waste.  He took a long sip thinking wasting expensive Scotch was just like wasting children’s lives.  Which brought his thoughts back to the case he’d helped NCIS New Orleans close.  The bartender brought another highball, this one neat, no ice.  At least the flavor wouldn’t be lost as it sat on the bar, untouched.

A piano playing something he didn’t recognize broke into Tony’s thoughts.  He finally looked around, almost not realizing the evening had gotten away from him and the tiny pub he landed in was almost empty.  It had been bustling and loud when he’d arrived looking for something to keep his thoughts off of dead children and the apprehended suspect screaming ‘they were in my way, they wouldn’t move, it wasn’t my fault’.

It had been open mic night and various people had played instruments on the tiny stage.  From honky tonk to jazz, from poetry readings to off key renditions of current hits, the crowd had ebbed and flowed while Tony stared into the melting Scotch.

But the piano penetrated his thoughts, the melody finally bringing forth a title.  Barbara Streisand?  He turned his bar stool to see who was playing ‘Memories’.  Pride?  Here?  The head of the local NCIS office?  He knew Dwayne Pride played the piano, had heard him banging away on a piano mostly covered with a heavy tarp in the courtyard behind NCIS New Orleans headquarters.

The bartender called last call and Tony asked for bourbon and took the two drinks over to a table near the piano.  He settled into the comfortable barrel chair and listened as Pride played a pretty straight forward melody line, not much on enhancements, no missed notes.  Nice.

When the older man finished Tony placed the bourbon on the top of the upright piano and waited for Pride to notice.  Pride looked up at the shadow and noise, turned to see Tony leaning against a convenient post.  He took the drink from the top of the piano and raised it in salute before sipping.  He almost coughed as the strong fluid hit the back of his throat.

Tony pulled his chair closer to the piano.  At the screech of other chair legs he looked behind him and saw the rest of Pride’s team pulling chairs closer to the table Tony had claimed.  Their presence was surprising and just showed how off his game he was because he hadn’t been aware of their arrival.

Pride waved at the bartender as he turned off the open sign, green letters blinking out and replaced with red ones flashing closed.  “Bob, we’ll lock up and let ourselves out the back.”

“You got it King.  Take your time.”  Bob pulled the blinds and locked the deadbolt behind him as he left the pub.

Pride placed his highball glass on the table and turned back to the piano.  He idly played a few riffs of various jazz pieces before turning to his team and DiNozzo.  “Any requests?”

“Nothing sad.  I think we’ve had enough sorrow to last the year.”  Loretta  lifted her bottle toward Pride.

“I agree.”  Brody added.  “Something we all know.”

LaSalle nodded.  “Ditto.  Nothing gospel either.”

Pride looked at Tony, then to the guitar standing on the small stage.  “You know how to play that thing?”

Tony finished his Scotch then reached for the acoustic guitar among the instruments provided for wantta be performers.  “I think I can follow you.  I’m more a piano player myself, but lead on.”

Pride waited for Tony to run through a few chords, adjust the tuning.  When Tony nodded Pride put his fingers on the keyboard and with his eyes closed started a song they all knew.  It was only a few notes in before Tony joined in on the guitar.   Voices joined Pride as they filled the quiet dark pub with  “You are my Sunshine.”


End file.
